Shagreen

Emily Lin <nilylime [at] hotmail__com> writes
>I am a student of the art conservation program at Queen's
>University. I am writing to request sources of shagreen for the
>microscope box that I am treating. The box has a shagreen covering,
>which was dyed green, and much of it has been lost.
>
>In a previous posting on this list, I learned that shagreen consists
>of the untanned skin of sharks, with the placoid scales being
>smoothened and polished.
We have purchased stingray from:
Garlin Neumann Leathers Co., Inc.
66-D River Road, Hudson, NH 03051
603-595-6319
garlinleather<-a t->worldnet< . >att< . >net
and shagreen from:
Dualoy Leather
45 West 34th Street, Suite 811
New York, NY 10001
212-736-3360
I believe the name shagreen might not be specific these days. It
may be interchangeable for stingray, skate and shark. I have heard
that it comes mostly from the area of the Indian Ocean. We have had
success cutting the material with a hacksaw blade sunk into a long
block of wood as a handle. Glue the material, flesh side down, to a
piece of binders' board then slide the hacksaw blade across the
material using a straightedge as a guide. After the saw cuts
through the hard pearl-like surface, you can then use a scalpel to
cut cleanly through the remainder of the skin.
Peter Geraty
Praxis Bindery
1 Cottage Street, Unit 18
Easthampton, MA 01027-1667
413-527-7275
***
Conservation DistList Instance 21:56
Distributed: Friday, April 18, 2008
Message Id: cdl-21-56-007
***